UAE legal guides and explainers
Read selected guides about family planning, legal documents and business decisions. Compare the choices before preparing instructions.
Start with the decision you need to understand
These selected guides explain common choices. Each links to more specific documents and authority routes.
For a particular document or an area outside this shortlist, search the full service directory. The guides provide general information; an adviser should assess your facts before you act.
Wills and estate planning in the UAE
Compare UAE will registration routes and the decisions behind them: beneficiaries, executors, children and assets overseas. Start with what you own, then choose suitable documents and plan how your family will use them.
Read the guide Wills & estate planningA complete UAE estate plan
Connect wills, family care, ownership records, debts and business continuity in one plan. Use the checklist to identify gaps, coordinate countries and documents, finish formal steps and prepare a usable handover.
Read the guide Wills & estate planningWill registration fees and planning costs
Compare published DIFC and ADJD registration charges and understand what a complete will quote should include. Separate official fees, drafting, translation, amendments and later estate administration.
Read the guide Wills & estate planningUnderstanding the structure of a DIFC will
Understand the parts of a DIFC will: identity, scope, executors, guardians, specific gifts and residue. Use the clause map to prepare questions about your draft; it is an explanation, not a document to sign.
Read the guide Wills & estate planningUnderstanding an ADJD civil will
Read an ADJD civil will by its purpose: identity, beneficiaries, asset scope, appointments and registration. Check that both language versions express the same instructions. This is an educational map, not a signing template.
Read the guide Wills & estate planningGuardianship planning for children
Plan immediate and longer-term care for children alongside parental rights, existing orders and financial support. Check which legal route fits the family and give proposed guardians a practical emergency file.
Read the guide Wills & estate planningProbate and estate administration
Find out what to prepare after a death: the will, death evidence, estate records and the appropriate court application. Track liabilities, property and account transfers through to a clear estate account.
Read the guide Powers of attorneyPower of attorney in the UAE
Choose a power of attorney around the task you need someone to perform. Compare general and specific powers, UAE notarisation, overseas use and safeguards before authorising property, vehicle, company or personal matters.
Read the guide Powers of attorneyPower of attorney questions
Find answers about POA powers, signing, recipient acceptance, overseas documents and cancellation. Use the questions to prepare a task-specific brief rather than choose the broadest document or assume one expiry rule.
Read the guide Powers of attorneyPower of attorney for overseas use
Prepare a UAE-issued POA for a transaction in another country. Check the foreign recipient’s wording, language and authentication requirements before signing, and distinguish this from a foreign-issued POA used in the UAE.
Read the guide Personal & property servicesDocument attestation in the UAE
Plan the authentication route for a certificate or legal document used across borders. Check the issuing country, recipient, prior formalities and supported digital or courier pathway before arranging MoFA attestation.
Read the guide Personal & property servicesLegal document translation
Prepare complete records for a court, registry, notary or overseas recipient. Check the required registered translator and language scope, resolve name differences and review the final text alongside any separate attestation.
Read the guide Personal & property servicesProperty sale and purchase
Prepare for a property purchase or sale from the contract through payment, clearances and registration. Check the parties’ authority, title evidence and handover arrangements before committing to completion.
Read the guide Personal & property servicesProperty gifts in the UAE
Prepare the transfer file for a full or partial property gift under the applicable DLD route. Check relationship and title eligibility, identity, valuation, representation and lender requirements before registration.
Read the guide Business legal servicesCorporate governance
Review UAE company approvals, board and manager duties, delegated authority, conflicts and records. Build decision rules the business can actually use.
Read the guide Business legal servicesCommercial contracts
Review UAE customer and supplier contracts for scope, payment, acceptance, liability and exit. Identify the documents and decisions needed for a scoped review.
Read the guide Contracts & agreementsShareholders agreement
Agree UAE company owner rights, funding, transfers and deadlock. Align shareholder terms with board duties, constitutional records and implementation.
Read the guide Business legal servicesEmployment law
Review UAE employment contracts, workplace issues and exits under federal, DIFC or ADGM rules. Understand records, non-competes and relevant deadlines.
Read the guide Business legal servicesIntellectual property
Map a UAE business’s brands, content, software, inventions and know-how. Choose protection, trace ownership and plan licensing, maintenance or a transaction.
Read the guide Company formationCompany formation in the UAE and overseas
Choose a company around the work it will do, the people who will own and manage it, and the obligations it must meet. Explore mainland, free zone, UAE offshore and international routes, with a practical framework for documents, governance, licensing, banking and ongoing compliance.
Read the guide Company formationMainland Company Registration in the UAE
Compare mainland business setup across all seven emirates. Find the licensing route, company registration documents and operating arrangements that fit your customers, premises and team.
Read the guide Company formationFree Zone Company Formation in the UAE
Find a free zone that fits how your business will work. Compare permitted activities, workspace, ownership structure and staffing needs before choosing a licence, so your setup supports the operation you intend to build.
Read the guide Company formationOffshore Company Formation in the UAE
Explore a UAE offshore structure for holding assets, organising ownership or supporting international business. Start with what the company needs to own and do, then compare the registration route, banking requirements and administration that suit those plans.
Read the guide Wills & estate planningRAK ICC foundations for succession planning
Assess whether a RAK ICC foundation suits your family assets and governance needs. Review council and guardian roles, valid asset transfers, disclosure and ongoing administration before choosing the structure.
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